While commissioners debated on Monday what charter change questions would go to the voters, Commissioner Kimberly Mitchell was noticeably absent from the discussion.

Mitchell, who said she had to attend a work function in Orlando for her bond underwriting company, will be there at this coming Monday’s workshop when term limits will be the hot topic.

At the last meeting, commissioners tentatively approved five ballot questions that will go to voters, including changing commission terms from two years to three years.

Residents then called commissioners “selfish” and demanded that they instead adopt a ballot question that will impose term limits.

Commissioners surprisingly agreed, saying that while they don’t all believe in terms limits, they believe in allowing the question to go to the voters.

But City Attorney Claudia McKenna said it would be too confusing to ask voters if they want longer commission terms while simultaneously askining them if they want to impose term limits.

McKenna came up with a compromise (that might be just as confusing): a nonbinding straw poll to see how voters feel about term limits. If the straw poll passes (and most assume it will easily pass), then commissioners could put a term limit question on a future ballot.

Mitchell says she has a better idea: Skip the three year term question altogether, and ask the voters in March if they want term limits.

“There is no public outcry and the public has never asked me or been concerned about (three year terms),” Mitchell said. “That is self serving for elected officials. It is in their best interest.”

Instead, Mitchell said, “We should put the term limit question on the ballot and ask it. If for some reason next year there is an outcry and people say ‘we really want you to have three year terms,’ then we can look at it again.”

For the record, Mitchell, who is running unopposed for her sixth term in office, says she is against term limits. But she said the voters should get to decide, and she expects term limits would pass.

But Commissioner Keith James, who favors three year terms, said the city empowered a charter review committee for a reason. After long deliberations, the charter review committee recommended three year terms, but not term limits.

The committee decided three year terms would allow commissioners to focus on their job without being concerned about reelection every other year. Also, three year terms would eliminate a city election every third year, saving money. The committee decided that with term limits, the city could lose a good commissioner and staff and lobbyists would end up running the city.

“These people devoted a considerable amount of time and attention, they heard a lot of comments and I would not like to just actually disregard something as significant as that,” James said.